Internal-combustion and other fluid-pressure engine.



'No, 889,044. 4 PATENTED MAY 26, 1908. D.-ROBER TS & 0. JAMES.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION AND OTHER FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 18, 1907. s SHBB 1 N E 49 i i S! Q N A S} Q S a IIIIIlIJ No. 889,044. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908. D. ROBERTS & 0. JAMES.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION AND OTHER FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE.

APPLICATION rILnn our. 18, 1907.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IVZZ'IZEJJGS. blue/Zions.

THE mmms PETERS cm. wasummurv, n. cy

PATENTED MAY 26, 1908. D. ROBERTS & O. JAMES. INTERNAL COMBUSTION AND OTHER FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE.

APPLIOATIO N FILED 001 18, 1907.

a SHEETS-SHEET a.

THE MORRIS PETERS cm. WASHINGTON, n. c.

uninn s'ra'rns can NT FFICE.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION AND OTHER FLUID-PRESSURE ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

- Application filed October 18, 1907. Serial No. 397,990.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID ROBERTS and CHARLES JAMEs, subjects of the King of Great Britain, both residing at Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Internal Combustion and other Fluid-Pressure Engines and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates chiefiy to internal combustion engines of the trunk piston single or multi-cylinder vertical inclosed type, the working parts of which are lubricated either by splash, forced or gravity lubrication. 7

Our invention has for its object to provide means for catching the dirty or waste lubricating oil draining from the pistons and preventing it from running into and mingling with that in the crank-chamber so as to avoid the rapid wear of the bearings due to the use of dirty oil from the pistons.

.A further object of the invention is to e11- able a different and more suitable lubricating oil'to be used both for the cylinders and the pistons than hitherto and also to enable the pistons to be lubricated independently and more efficiently without any excess of oil so as to obtain improved combustion, a clear exhaust and a reduction in the amount of lubricating oil.

It has already been proposed to provide internal combustion engines of the type above mentioned with internal diaphragms fitted in the crank-chambers and separating the upper from the lower part of the crankchamber and the cylinders, the said diaphragms having oblong holes for the passage of the connecting rod. It has also been proposed to catch the dirty and waste lubricating oil from the piston by forming a lip around the hole in the diaphragm, in some cases the oil collected being conveyed out side the crank chamber by a drain pipe. Again, trays of various shapeshave been made use of but none of these have given satisfactory results in ractice, chiefly owing to the fact that the ubricating oil in the,

lower part of the crank-chamber splashes on to the working parts, being thrown or carried by the connecting rod through the opening in the diaphragm, so that it finds its way 011 to the cylinder wall and piston and causes excessive lubrication of the piston, imperfect combustion and a smoky exhaust.

Moreover, rapid wear of the bearings takes place, owing to the dirty oil from the pistons being carried into and mixing with the oil inthe lower part of the crank-chamber. Attempts have been made to convey the oil collected on the upper surfaces of the diaphragm by a pipe outside the chamber but the amount so collected and wasted, owing to its being mingled with the lubricating oil from the lowler part of the crank-chamber, is abnorma posed, in order to obviate certain of the above described defects, to close the oblong hole in the diaphragm by means of swinging levers, that is to say, levers the upper ends of which are hinged to the diaphragm and the lower ends caused to bear against the connecting rod by means of springs.

Now, our invention has for its object to improve this construction of engine with the view of obviating all the disadvantages above described and to this end we maintain the Furthermore, it has also been prooblong hole in the diaphragm closed during the whole of the reciprocating movement of the connecting rod by means of a shutter through a hole or die in which the connecting rod passes and which reciprocates with the connecting rod, the said shutter either moving in guides provided for it in the crank chamber or being made to alternatively fold or collapse and expand as the connecting rod reciprocates.

To enable the invention to be fully understood we will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional'elevation of a portion of a vertical engine provided with means according to the invention for closing the oblong opening in the diaphragm through which the connecting rod passes. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view drawn to a larger scale illustrating the closing device. Fig. 4 is a transverse section thereof. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a longitudinal section and a cross section illustrating a modified form of closing device. Figs. 8 and 9 are views similar to Figs. 6 and 7 of a further modified form of the device. Fig. 10 is a part plan view of the same, and Fig. 11 is a view similar to Figs. 6 and 8 of a further form of the closing device. Fig. 12 is a half transverse section thereof, and Fig. 13 is a plan View of the same.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, (1 represents the bed plate of the engine, I) the column thereof, 0 the cylinder, 6 the crank-shaft, f the connecting-rod, g the piston, h the oblong hole through which the connecting-rod f passes and 'L the diaphragm separating the upper and lower parts of the crank-chamber.

7', j are a series of plates which are super posed so as to form a shutter, the topmost plate being formed with a hole provided with a boss or die 7c through which passes the connecting rod which is referably made parallel or practically paral el for the whole of its length. The p ates or shutters, which slide in the guides n, n (Fig. 4), are of different len ths, and are provided with oblong holes j also of different lengths, the dimensions of the plates and of their holes j being such that as each plate is displaced laterally by the rod f it moves through only a portion of the total movement of the connecting-rod, that is to say, the shutter is expanded or contracted on the two sides of the connecting rod f as the latter reciprocates.

0 is a lip which is carried around the plates j, to trap any oil that may possibly work through them from the crank-chamber, such oil being returned to the crank-chamber by the pipe p.

1" is a well or space into which the dirty or waste lubricating oil from the. piston g is colleoted, this oil being prevented from running back into the lower part of the crank-chamber by the lip 0 and draining away through the pipe 8 to the outside of the crankchamber where it is collected in any convenient way. If and u are ventilating pipes the former fitted to the upper part and the latter to the lower part of the crank-chamber. These pipes allow for the displacement of air due in the lower part of the crank-chamber to the connecting-rods and in the upper part of the crank-chamber to the displacement of the piston.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 the oblong hole It in the diaphragm 'i is closed by means of a sliding plate 1) made in two parts secured together by the caps to of the trunnion bearings 90 of the connectingrod boss or die 'y.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a closing device in the form of a folding shutter, that is to say, a series of plates or shutters a, a are provided on each side of thedie (Z of the connecting-rodf one end of each series of shutters being secured to the said die and the other to the edge of the oblong hole h in the diaphragm t. The plates or shutters are hinged together by means of pins 6 the pins f being made longer than the pins 6 and moving in the guide-grooves 9 With this construction as the connecting rod f reciprocates the shutters or plates a extend and fold up on either side thereof, as is clearly shown, so as to always maintain the oblong hole It in the diaphragm closed.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 show a form of closure comprising link-chains 7b which are hinged at one end to the connecting-rod die (1 and at the other end to springs secured at 76 to the column b of the engine. These chains work over guide-rollers Z and are formed or provided on their upper faces with plates 72/ adapted to abut and form a shutter completely closing the oblong hole 72 It will be obvious that our invention is ap plicable in addition to internal combustion engines as above described, to air compressors, pumps and like engines.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is 1 1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a crank case communicating with the lower end of the cylinder, a piston working in said cylinder, a movable shutter separating the lower part of the crank case from the cylinder, and provided with an aperture for the passage of the piston rod therethrough, and means for maintaining the lower end of the cylinder in communication with the atmosphere, substantially as described.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a crank case, conmnmicating with the lower end'of the cylinder and provided with a diaphragm separating said cylinder from the lower part of the crank case, the diaphragm being provided with an aperture for the passage of the piston rod, a movable shutter for maintaining the aperture in the diaphragmclosed, and provided with a close fitting 1perture for the passage of the piston rod, tie crank case being provided above said diaphragm with an aperture communicating with the atmosphere to establish communication between the lower end of the cylinder and the atmosphere, substantially as described.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a vertically disposed cylinder and a single acting piston therein, a crank case located below and communicating directly with the cylinder, a diaphragm in the crank case separating the cylinder from the lower part of the crank case for catching waste lubricant from the cylinder, and provided with a central aperture for the passage of the piston rod and a lip surrounding said aperture on the upper face of the diaphragm, to prevent lubricant from the crank case becoming mixed with that from the cylinder, and means for maintain- 4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a vertically disposed cylinder and a single acting piston therein, a crank case located below and communicating directly with the cylinder, a diaphragm in the crank case separating the cylinder from the lower part of the crank case for catching waste lubricant from the cylinder and provided with a central aperture for the passage of the piston rod and a lip surrounding said aperture on the upper face of the diaphragm, to prevent lubricant from the crank case becoming mixed with that from the cylinder, means for maintaining the aperture in the diaphragm closed at all times, to prevent the splashing of lubricant from the crank case into the cylinder, means for separately draining the lubricant collected within said lip and the lubricant collected above said diaphragm outside of said lip, substantially as described.

5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a vertically disposed cylinder and a single acting piston therein, a crank case located below and communicat ing directly with the cylinder, a diaphragm in the crank case separating the cylinder from the lower part of the crank case for catching waste lubricant from the cylinder and provided. with a central aperture for the passage of the piston rod and a lip surrounding said aperture 011 the upper face of the diaphragm, to prevent lubricant from the crank becoming mixed with that from the cylinder, means for maintaining the aperture in the diaphragm closed at all times, to prevent the splashing of oil from the crank case into the cylinder, means for draining the lubricant collected within said lip into the crank case, means for separately draining the lubricant collected upon the diaphragm within and without said lip, said crank case having a communication with the atmosphere above and below said diaphragm, substantially as described.

6. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a crank case communicating with the lower end of the cylinder and provided with a diaphragm separating said cylinder from the lower part of the crank case, the diaphragm being provided with an aperture for the passage of the piston rod, a movable shutter for maintaining the aperture in the diaphragm closed and comprising a plurality of plates, superimposed one upon another, and capable of relative movement, said plates having apertures therein of diiierent sizes to permit the passage of the iston rod therethrough, one of said plates being provided with an aperture closely fitting said piston rod, substantially as described.

7. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a crank case, communicating with the lower end of the cylinder and provided with a diaphragm separating said cylinder from the lower part of the crank case, the dia hragm being provided with an aperture or the passage of the piston rod, a movable shutter for maintaining the aperture in the dia hragm closed and comprising a plurality 0 plates superimposed one upon another anc capable of relative sliding movement with respect to each other, said plates having apertures therein of diiierent sizes to permit the passage of the piston rod therethrough, one of said plates being provided with a boss closely fitting said piston rod, substantially as described.

DAVID ROBERTS. CHARLES JAMES.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL WILLIAM PAYNE, HERBERT LowE. 

